25: Chapter 25 A turtle in a jar, unable to escape.

The signal was cut off.

The screen returned to darkness.

But for the Jianghai City Police Headquarters Command Center, this battle had only just begun.

*Snap!*

The piece of dark chocolate in Xie Qingshang's hand was crushed ruthlessly.

The Provincial Department expert, who had always maintained absolute composure, was now staring intently through his glasses at the frozen image of the clown's smiling face on the big screen.

That smile was far too piercing.

It was a crushing blow to their intelligence, a blatant provocation of public authority.

"He didn't cut the signal to create chaos."

Xie Qingshang suddenly looked up, his voice chilled as if wrapped in ice shards, and his speaking speed was incredibly fast: "He did it to cover his escape route! He's trying to run!"

"Director Zhao! Seal it off!"

Xie Qingshang didn't even care about superior-subordinate etiquette; he bypassed Zhao Shanhe and grabbed the microphone on the command console.

"This is Xie Qingshang! Listen to my orders!"

"SWAT Team One and Two, immediately seal off all exits of the TV Tower! That includes the underground garage, drainage outlets, and trash disposal chutes! Not even a fly is to get out!"

"SWAT Team Three, airdrop!"

Xie Qingshang's finger pointed sharply at the top of the TV Tower on the electronic map.

"Have the helicopters land directly on the rooftop helipad! We're going to catch a rat in a trap! A pincer attack from above and below!"

"I don't believe he can sprout wings and fly away!"

...

TV Tower, top-floor equipment room.

The air here was murky, filled with the smell of machine oil and the scorched scent of electrical overload.

Qin Feng was leaning behind a massive generator unit, panting heavily.

The "god looking down upon all living things" pretentious persona he had just displayed completely crumbled the moment the camera was turned off.

His legs felt a bit weak now.

Truly weak.

"I'm finished, I'm finished..."

Qin Feng peeked down through a gap in the blinds.

Good grief.

Below him, the red and blue police lights flashed into a sea of light. The dense crowd of police cars had the TV Tower surrounded so tightly that not even water could trickle through, looking like a swarm of army ants waiting to devour their prey.

And above his head.

*Rumble—*

The loud roar of propellers was penetrating the floor slabs, causing the dust on the ceiling to shower down.

Those were helicopters.

The SWAT Team was airdropping.

"This is a freaking dead end!"

Qin Feng leaned against the wall, feeling like his heart was about to leap out of his throat.

He was here to act for the tens of millions in prize money and that mysterious grand gift pack, not to actually become a martyr!

Attacked from above and below, there was no way to escape.

If he was caught, forget the prize money; just that stunt with the city-wide internet blackout would probably be enough to make him rot in prison for the rest of his life.

"System! System Daddy!"

Qin Feng called out frantically in his mind, "Don't play dead! Give me a plan, quickly! How do I break out of this?"

[Ding!]

The cold mechanical voice finally rang out, sounding like heavenly music to Qin Feng's ears.

[Host detected in a desperate situation. Triggering hidden escape scenario.]

[Escape plan generated: Wings of the Sky.]

[Item has been delivered to the designated location. Please check, Host.]

Qin Feng's eyes lit up: "Where? Is it some kind of stealth teleportation portal? Or a quantum invisibility cloak?"

Just then.

*Bzzt—*

Alice's voice came through the miniature communicator in his ear.

Although the voice had been encrypted, one could still hear an irrepressible urgency and... excitement.

"Joker, can you hear me?"

"I knew you would choose this path! You really are a madman!"

Qin Feng was stunned: "What?"

What path did I choose?

"Stop pretending, it was all part of your plan, right?" Alice spoke rapidly. "I've already hidden that gear according to the 'hints' you gave three days ago."

"It's right to your left, at the entrance of Ventilation Duct B3, behind that red fire hydrant box."

Qin Feng was completely bewildered.

Three days ago? Hints?

I was still eating boxed lunches in Hengdian three days ago! Hint my foot!

Has this woman gone and imagined something incredible again?

Though he complained in his heart, his body was very honest.

Qin Feng scrambled behind the fire hydrant box and reached out to feel around.

It was hard.

It was a black tactical backpack.

"Found it!" Qin Feng was overjoyed as he yanked the backpack out. "What's this? A rocket pack?"

He pulled the zipper open.

By the dim emergency lights of the equipment room, Qin Feng saw what was inside.

It was a suit.

Black, made of a very special material that felt like some kind of polymer synthetic, with wide connecting fabric between the ribs and legs that looked like bat wings.

A wingsuit.

Qin Feng's hand trembled, nearly dropping the backpack on the floor.

"Alice..." Qin Feng's voice was shaking, "Don't tell me... I have to jump from here?"

This was 468 meters high!

With even a slight crosswind, he'd turn into a meat pancake on the asphalt road!

"Isn't this your favorite extreme sport?" Alice's voice was filled with admiration. "Conquer the blue sky, embrace freedom. Joker, this is your stage."

Stage, my ass!

I'm afraid of heights, lady!

*Boom!*

A loud bang came from the security door on the roof.

Next came heavy, chaotic footsteps, accompanied by the piercing beams of tactical flashlights swinging through the hallway.

"SWAT Assault Team! He's right down there!"

"Search! Don't miss a single corner!"

The voices were getting closer.

That suffocating pressure weighed on Qin Feng's heart like a mountain as the footsteps approached.

There was no time left.

If he jumped, he might die.

If he didn't jump, he'd definitely suffer social death and be sued into bankruptcy.

"Let's do this!"

Qin Feng gritted his teeth as his ruthless streak of valuing money over his life surfaced.

He frantically began to strip and pull the incredibly tight wingsuit onto his body.

"What a crappy design! It's so tight!"

Qin Feng complained as he pulled the zipper up to his chin, nearly making him pass out from the pressure.

He finished dressing.

He then pulled an exaggerated full-face windproof helmet out of the bag, along with a windproof mask painted with a bizarre smiley face.

Once he was fully geared up.

The slovenly cleaner from before had completely vanished.

In his place was a figure as mysterious and dangerous as a nocturnal bat, filled with an aesthetic of violence.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

The iron door of the equipment room was being struck heavily.

That was the sound of a battering ram.

With every strike, Qin Feng's eyelids twitched violently.

"Quick! He's inside!"

"Breach the door! Prepare the flashbangs!"

The shouts from outside the door were clearly audible.

Qin Feng took a deep breath, put on his helmet, and buckled his mask.

In that instant, [God-level Villainous Acting] automatically took over his body.

His legs, which had been trembling, suddenly straightened.

His panicked eyes instantly became unruffled, even showing a hint of fanatical readiness to face death.

He walked to the maintenance window at the end of the equipment room.

There was no glass here, only a waist-high railing.

Outside.

The wind was very strong.

The howling night wind sounded like ghostly wails and wolf howls, making the wingsuit on Qin Feng's body flap loudly.

He glanced down at his feet.

The brightly lit Jianghai City looked like a massive glowing chessboard at this moment.

And directly below the chessboard, those police cars and people were as tiny as dust.

At this height...

People really would die.

Qin Feng swallowed hard, his fingers gripping the railing so tightly his knuckles turned white.

"System, if I fall to my death, remember to burn me a Best Actor trophy."

He made one last mental complaint.

*Clang—!!!*

Behind him, the heavy iron door finally gave way under the strain and collapsed with a roar.

Dust rose everywhere.

Several piercing beams from tactical flashlights instantly hit Qin Feng's back.

"Don't move!!!"

"Hands up! This is the Jianghai City SWAT Detachment!"

"Drop your weapon! Surrender immediately!"

A dozen dark muzzles instantly locked onto the black figure standing on the edge of the abyss.

SWAT Captain Xiahou Dun rushed out of the dust, gun in hand.

He saw it clearly.

That back.

Aloof and upright, facing this certain death trap without a single tremor.

The black tactical suit billowed in the gale like a pair of wings thirsting for blood.

"Qin Feng!"

Xiahou Dun roared sternly, "You can't run! It's a dead end ahead! Step back!"

Hearing the shout.

Qin Feng did not turn around.

He simply raised his right hand slowly and snapped his fingers in the air.

*Snap.*

The crisp sound was a bit faint in the wind, but it caused the hearts of every SWAT officer present to tighten.

Then.

The figure moved.

Without hesitation, without delay, without even a backward glance at the bustling world.

Qin Feng pushed off the railing with both hands, his body like a graceful bird, and amidst everyone's cries of alarm—

He leaped.

"No—!!!"

Xiahou Dun's pupils constricted, and he instinctively rushed forward, trying to grab a corner of the suit.

But his hand caught nothing but air.

He only caught a handful of the night wind.

Xiahou Dun leaned over the railing, peering out in horror.

He expected to see a body smashed to pieces.

However.

The next second.

Every SWAT officer witnessed a scene they would never forget for the rest of their lives.

In that endless dark void.

The figure that had been rapidly falling suddenly spread its arms.

*Whoosh—*

Massive black wing membranes instantly billowed out under the impact of the airflow.

He didn't fall.

He was gliding.

Like a demonic bat breaking free from its chains in the depths of hell, he used the powerful updraft to trace a breathtakingly perfect arc in the sky.

Just like that, he hugged the glass exterior of the TV Tower, diving toward that distant sea of neon lights at a near-insane speed.

And the moment that figure swept past this floor's window.

Through the reflection in the glass.

Xiahou Dun saw the pattern on the windproof mask clearly.

That exaggerated, blood-red smiley face.

It seemed to be directing a silent mockery toward this group of armed SWAT officers and this heavily guarded city.

"Is... is this even humanly possible?"

A young SWAT officer's gun slumped down as he muttered to himself, "Is this still an exercise?"

"Madman..."

Xiahou Dun stared intently at the receding black dot, his fist slamming against the cold railing.

"This guy... is a complete and utter madman!"

...

Command Center.

On the big screen, the scene was being broadcast live via footage sent back by a drone.

That black shadow weaved between the city's skyscrapers like a ghost in the dark night, or a demon king descending upon the world.

Dead silence.

In the entire command hall, aside from the hum of electricity, not a single breath could be heard.

Everyone was stunned by that shocking leap.

Zhao Shanhe sat slumped in his chair, his eyes glazed over.

"Wingsuit flying..."

"In the center of the city, at an altitude of four hundred meters, without even a test flight..."

"Consultant Xie." Zhao Shanhe turned his head, his voice as dry as rusting gears, "You just said he was escaping?"

Xie Qingshang stood before the big screen.

His usually calm face was now filled with shock.

The finger he used to push up his glasses was trembling slightly.

"No."

Xie Qingshang watched the figure soaring freely in the night sky, a very complex emotion flashing in the depths of his eyes.

There was fear, there was anger.

But more than that... it was a kind of awe toward a powerhouse of his own kind.

"He's not escaping."

Xie Qingshang took a deep breath, his voice low, each word squeezed out through his teeth.

"He is... being crowned."

"From tonight on, this city is his hunting ground."

"Director Zhao."

Xie Qingshang turned around, his eyes like torches.

"Notify the entire city."

"The game..."

"has leveled up."